Mrs. Jones was one of my cousins’ nursery school teachers, and although I really think of this as my aunt’s recipe — she passed it on to me — I have preserved the original name because I like the history of it!

For me, this is the macaroni & cheese recipe to beat: it remains my favorite, and I compare any other mac & cheese I eat to it. However, I don’t make it often because the boys won’t eat it (they prefer to boxed stuff instead). Jodi was a willing diner last Monday, though, so I jumped at the chance to make it again. This time I cut the leftovers into several squares and froze them in individual portions. I was really pleased to see that this recipe defrosted nicely just by throwing it in the fridge overnight, and reheating it in the microwave for a couple of minutes.

If you are looking for a creamy, saucy recipe, this is not it. Mrs. Jones’ version bakes up into a firm, casserole-type macaroni & cheese that is very easy to prepare. The dry mustard and cayenne give it just enough dimension to taste like so much more than pasta and cheese mixed together, without being spicy. I usually use whole wheat pasta, which works just as well as plain white.

Put the hot, drained macaroni back in the pot you cooked it in, and mix in the butter until pasta is completely coated. Mix in the cheddar cheese and stir until cheese is well-distributed. Spoon mixture into a 9 x 13 baking dish and use the back of the spoon to lightly pack it into the pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk remaining ingredients together and pour over the pasta and cheese. Bake 30-40 minutes, until set and crusty on top.

[…] Company. Their light coconut milk caught my eye while I was looking for evaporated skim (for Mrs. Jones’ Macaroni & Cheese), so I bought it several weeks ago with the intention of finding a recipe that called for coconut […]

About

I'm Dara, the Chick in the Kitchen. Living in the suburbs of Manhattan with my two school-aged boys and husband. Feeding my family something more diverse than a different shape of pasta each night. Read more about me and CITK, and keep in touch: